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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Best St. Louis Metal Shows in November 2013

Looking for a good place to see flashy and exciting music played at high volume, have your mind blown by dark and powerful sounds, or just stomp around like a drunken goon with your shirt off? Then a heavy-metal concert might be just the place for you. Each month I'll be offering my top picks of the upcoming metal shows in town that I think shouldn't be missed. And I'll try really hard not wish death on whatever falseness may be approaching.

First and foremost, I must admit that I when I made the trek over to Chicago to see Absu open for Immortal a couple of years ago, I was kind of laughing my ass off through the entire set. No matter how grim and brutal a band is, I just can't help but lose my shit when I see a drummer doing demon vocals and playing really, really fast, while wearing a studded headband that makes his head look like a disco ball. That said, it is also impossible to ignore Absu's legacy as one of the first USBM (that's United States Black Metal for you poseurs out there) bands to burst out onto the extreme metal scene, or the fact there are some killer albums in the band's catalog.

Absu also appeared on the blackest of all movie soundtracks, Gummo, alongside legends including Bathory, Bethlehem and Burzum -- its song was the very first track on the album. So the band is either therefore really important, or the makers of the soundtrack were just going alphabetically. Either way: pretty impressive. Absu will soon release the followup to 2009's Absu and 2011's Abzu with its latest album, Apsu, sometime later this year. Confused? Don't be, because...Satan.